>I'd be more concerned with the overall talent level of the junior people than what they 'know today'.
>Look for people with a high mathematical aptitude along with the display of good communication skills during the interview process.
>You could assemble a team like this much more quickly and in the long run maximuze productivity.
>Its good to have a mix of people including some who are 'not married to VFP'.

I guess your statement is true and coding languages are not that difficult to learn. But, in reality, I think employers rather have a proven programmer; someone with a track record for a specific skill. Almost impossible right now to get a position as a C++ coder if all you know is VFP/VB, no matter how good in math you are.

Maybe if all programmers were taken and the employers sees no other way then to train someone, will they take a chance. But there are plenty of "programmers" looking for jobs and employers can take their pick.